In The Mean Time...

I've been sucky at getting enough time on the computer to really do this blog justice the last few days. I have also been trying to do some soul searching because it seems that I've been getting off track lately. I don't want this to be one of those blogs where there is always talk about "starting fresh" and "getting back into it" when in reality nothing ever changes. This blog is about finding motivation. It is about talking honestly about my journey in getting healthy. It is about living my life and sharing it with no one in particular. And I intend to keep it that way. So in the mean time, enjoy these photos of the past few days and I will catch up with ya before you know it!

Underwear

Yup. Underwear. When I was pregnant with Maya I started wearing "granny panties" every day.  It's eight and a half months since she was born and I still have some in my drawer. It's just that they are so comfy. I would like to broaden my horizons a bit and get back into wearing something more my age.

I'm only 29 years old for goodness sake, not 80 (no offence to the grannies out there!).
If I lose some more weight, I am more likely to feel comfortable in my undies again!

RANT OR RAVE

I got a gift certificate from one of my best friends for the mall and today I am going to go out and buy a new outfit for myself! Yeah for friends who give you free shopping!

RANDOMS

This morning Maya learned her first piece of classical music on the piano - I think it was Clementi or Chopin. She played it beautifully!

Goals

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

In all honesty I have not been able to keep my motivation like I used to. I always start the day ready to take it on and then by the end of the day I have lost focus. There are many goals that I have set for myself, mostly open ended ones, but I think that some of them were too far away to really keep me motivated for more than a short amount of time. For example, when I say that I want to be able to look decent in a bathing suit for my trip to Florida in January - well that's still a month and a half away and too far in the future to really keep me that motivated. I think I would do better if I focused on things that are more immediate and concrete, like, say, something that can be achieved by the end of the day or the end of the week. I dunno, but it's worth a try. 

To recap, here are a few of the things that I have said I wanted to work towards:

-fitting into all my old bridesmaids dresses (three of them fit so far)

-fitting into my wedding dress (not close to fitting yet)

-having my wedding ring fit better (done and done!)

-looking decent in family Christmas photo

-buying a new bathing suit for Florida

-look better when I go back to work

-buying a hot dress for my brother's wedding

-getting rid of back fat

-fitting into spaces 

-getting a tattoo

I have also mentioned many health and lifestyle related reasons for wanting to get in shape, and of course those are important too. I think just focusing on changing my appearance is not enough to keep going, and so I want to talk a bit more about my "inner self" in the next few days to keep focused on what's truly important. 

But to break things down into more small and manageable goals, today I am just going to focus on getting through the whole day with eating sensible portions of wholesome food. If I can do that, then tomorrow I will build on this and focus on something else until I work up to a goal within a weeks time. Wish me luck!

What things have helped you stay focused on a goal?

RANT OR RAVE

Seriously, I need to cut off the Netflicks. 90210 is making me real lazy in the evenings. I'm getting nothing done around this house!

Here is another quote I came across the other day that I really liked and makes me want to turn the TV off instead of whine about how it's affecting me! 

"We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action." ~ Frank Tibolt

In fact, I will try to remember that when focusing on my short term goals as mentioned above!

RANDOMS

Would you judge me if I put up my Christmas tree early today? I'm not one of those people who go all crazy over Christmas, really, I'm not! (denial).  Back in the day people didn't start decorating for Christmas until closer to the actual day, but that was when people actually celebrated Christmas on the actual day. Now with so many Christmas parties, blended families, shopping sales, a lot of people end up celebrating as early as November (my work Christmas party is always last weekend of November).  And with me being home with Maya all day, it's hard not to break out the wreaths and ornaments! Besides, we are hosting Christmas with my in-laws this year early, so it's only natural that I would want to get the decorations out! Really, that is the reason!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Dress Stress

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

So a while ago I said that I wanted to fit into my wedding dress and do it by my 30th birthday. I just realized that is in like three days. Where did the time go? This is why I don't usually put time lines on such said goals just in case I don't make it. Well I'm gonna go try the dress on today and see what happens. I'm a little nervous. 

No matter what happens, the act of trying it on is likely to motivate me either way.  If it doesn't fit yet, I will feel compelled to work harder, if it does fit I will be hyped enough to keep working at this thing called healthy eating.  I have a feeling it's not gonna fit. 

RANT OR RAVE

Let's hear it for avacados! They are soft and buttery, full of nutrients, and are a natural way to spruce up any recipe. Sure, they have a bad rap for being high in fat, but it's not like you are going to eat three of them in one sitting. Just a quarter of one can be used up for things like guacamole on your fajitas or a tasty addition to your salad. 

RANDOMS

We have a basket full of stuffed animals in Maya's nursery that have just been sitting on her shelf, until today....

You're My Inspiration

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

This person who inspires me is my soon to be sister-in-law and is a Mom who makes it work!  She is an inspiration to me because she is the one of the most creative and industrious people I know. She can make it work no matter what the limitation, no matter what the challenge. She can get it all done and then some. You want to plan a fabulous party on a budget? Give her a call. You want to learn how to make the best home made gifts for Christmas? Give her a call. You want to know where to find the best deals? Give her a call. Ok. Case in point. She just bought her wedding dress for $25.00. Yes she did. It was regularly $1500.00 and she got it for $25. And it's gorgeous. We're not talking those white trash dresses that are the only one left on the rack at the back of the store. We're talking a beautiful gown. The bag she purchased to store her dress in cost more than the actual dress, yes it did! She is the queen thrifter, the mother of all things Martha Stewart, and the most magical creator of turning nothing into something that I have ever known.  But most importantly she is like every other mother out there, just wanting to create a good life for her child. She works hard, she makes ends meet time and time again, she never gives up, and she always, always ends up on top in the end.  And she puts up with my brother (kidding bro!). She is a Mom who makes it work!  When I am feeling discouraged, when I am feeling sorry for myself because things aren't working out, I think about her and realize that we are the makers of our own destiny. We are the only ones to make things happen. We gotta make it work. So thanks for being such an inspiration!

triplet lady, mountain climber, wise one, non-quitter, cheerleader, nurturing soul, mumsie, survivor, MIL,boss lady, older sis-in-law, 

RANT OR RAVE

I just love it when you get to go to a wedding and see it all set up before everyone gets there. It is always such a beautiful thing. I was lucky enough to be privy to pre-wedding set up for one of my best friend's weddings that was in my own back yard and also for my sister's wedding which was at a lovely venue.  I just love all the centre pieces and table settings and what not and all the little special touches that brides plan ahead of time. 

Other beautiful things:

backyard creatures, island getaway, french city, cottage fun, maritime, summer vacation, mexico paradise, growing, mountains, under the trees, fall is here, 

For Insurance Purposes

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

Another hectic day. Maya is still sick. Somehow I have barely sat down today and yet I can't even say that I got a whole lot accomplished other than grocery shopping, dinner made, you know, the usual stuff.   I ran off to kickboxing this morning and didn't even have time to sit down and write about my daily reason for motivation. Now it's almost nine o'clock and I just got finished putting the humidifier in Maya's room (poor babe!). But this is what I have been thinking about all day:

The other day my hubby and I were answering some general health questions for purposes of life insurance. You know, when they ask you if you have any history of this and that, so on and so forth.  It was very minimal coverage and we didn't have to give that much information. But in the past, we have had to undergo more extensive health screening for some of the policies we purchased. That included having to answer questions about weight, etc.  When I was pregnant for Maya I HATED having to do those medicals because I was at such an awful weight. Even though they consider the fact that you are pregnant and do not always weigh that much, I still always hated having to say the number. 

This time around, I was grateful that I wouldn't have to report such a high number. But still, I am not yet at a healthy weight (according to the BMI) so I am going to keep working towards more weight loss. So today, whenever I felt like straying from the plan I remembered how good it will feel when I can just answer a question about my weight without wincing. 

RANT OR RAVE

You know what I like? When you get partnered up with someone at kickboxing and you punch faster and harder than them. When you see them huffing and puffing and can't finish and you are like "wham" and keep going strong. 

I know you are only supposed to compete with yourself blah blah blah, but sometimes it's nice to have a little healthy competition. 

RANDOMS

Chris just e-mailed this to me and I think it's pretty cool. He is a difficult person to buy gifts for and it's nice when he sends me ideas. 

It's this lottery calendar where you buy it for someone and they have a chance to win money every day of the year. If you live in Ontario, check it out!  And it's for a great cause. Such a great idea. 

I also came across this site the other day where you can order a puzzle with your picture on it. Apparently this is not a new concept and there are tons of sites that do this. My grandma is a big fan of puzzles so guess what she's getting this year? 

Ok now I have to go catch up on some old school 90210 on Netflicks. Ciao for now!

I'm Doing The Best I Can

TODAYS MOTIVATION

Ok. So today kind of got away from me. Busy, busy, busy. You know how it is. Needless to say, I have not had time to sit down and write about a reason to stay motivated today until this evening. It's now a quarter to eleven and I am just sitting down with my feet up.  

Here's the update:

Well, I finally made it back to kickboxing yesterday. I plan to go again tomorrow morning. People always talk about how much of an impact sleep, food, and exercise has on your moods.  I have really been noticing how this is true in my life lately.  I got lots of sleep Monday night and so yesterday (Tuesday) was a totally different day. I was able to stick to my meal plan no problem, even when I went to the movies and the coffee shop with my bestie that night. If it had been a different day where I was sleep deprived or sick or whatever other stress going on, I would have been much more tempted to cave and eat something unhealthy. Also since I made it to kickboxing I am not feeling nearly as blobby as I was before. And you know how it is, once you get back into it, there is much more energy to be had during the day. I was also able to sleep in until eight o'clock this morning which was nice after being up with Maya three times last night. The only downfall today was that I was so busy I didn't make it to the grocery store and so my dinner was not exactly a hundred percent part of my meal plan. For example I had pasta for dinner even though I had already had toast that morning (one of the rules of my meal plan is I'm only allowed one serving of whole grain pasta or bread a day).  But it could have been a lot worse. At least I got all my fruit and veggies in today. 

So today I have just been going on sheer energy from the boost of sleep and exercise I have gotten in the past two days, hence the busy-ness.  I'm hoping the high energy continues for the rest of the week. I've also realized that I've got to stop being so hard on myself sometimes cause I am doin' the best I can with what I have, really I am. 

RANT OR RAVE

Ok this is kind of a rant and rave all in one. You may remember me talking about turning off the TV in my household this summer.  Well I wasn't really missing it a whole lot, the only time I really turned it one was when the new season of Grey's Anatomy started.  

But then my husband asked for Apple TV for his birthday this year and since it is difficult to find gift ideas for him I went ahead and hooked him up with his wish. Aaaannnd, then he immediately signed up for Netflicks. Yeah. It is pretty cool.  Since we've had it I have been catching up on old shows like 90210 and newer ones like Weeds. It's getting to the point where I am watching TV almost every day. Not a big deal except the fact that it makes me lazy and it makes me stay up later when Maya goes to bed. This is also a bad combination with the fact that it's getting colder outside and we won't be going for walks much, and we are going to be a lot more housebound - which results in even more television viewing. Uh-oh - better get a treadmill to put in front of the TV!

RANDOMS

Can I just say that I love buying random cute baby stuff for Maya once in a while?  A friend of ours owns the cutest little baby store called Rattle and Stroll. When you go in there you want to just say, "I'll take one of everything!".  They only have a few locations not very close to where we live which is probably a good thing or I would be in there all the time.  But they have a website where you can order all kinds of goodies - check it out. Anyhoo, when we were in their area a few weeks ago I picked up a few things.

Here's a closer look at the way-too-cute hair clips:

And aren't these bags the most adorable things you have ever put a lunch in?

I couldn't resist buying the owl one!

This growth chart is one you can stick right on the wall and peel it off if you don't want it anymore. I have always wanted a growth chart for Maya's nursery but could never get my hands on one until now. 

I cannot wait to look back on how much she is growing. 

And while we're on the subject of cute things for babies to wear on their heads - remember me talking about how much I love babies wearing hoodies? Well the same goes for winter hats, or any hat for that matter.  This one I picked up at the grocery store a while back. 

If cuteness could kill, I would have been dead the minute I laid eyes on my precious baby girl....but seriously, having a daughter to play dress up with is the greatest...and I'm soaking it all up before she decides to have a mind of her own!